


Shelter from the Storm

by Rroselavy



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-19
Updated: 2010-07-19
Packaged: 2017-10-10 16:10:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/101618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rroselavy/pseuds/Rroselavy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Separated from Hakkai and Gojyo, Sanzo and Goku find shelter and warmth in an abandoned cave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelter from the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Prompt: Goku/Sanzo: close quarters, overcoming reluctance, spooning: I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath. Betaed by kispexi2. I touched this last; all mistakes are mine.

It was cold. Bone-chilling cold. In the fading light, Goku could see his breath; it glowed eerily as it dissipated, ghostlike, into the darkness. His teeth chattered.

"Will you knock it off, dimwit?"

"'M t-t-trying t-to, S-s-s-sanzo. But it's c-c-cold!" And they were both wet, soaked to the bone.

"Why don't you tell me something I don't know?" Sanzo replied darkly.

Goku remembered how they'd ended up in their predicament. First they'd gotten separated from Hakkai and Gojyo and Jeep in a battle with yet another group of youkai sent by Houtou Castle. Then, rather than double back and search for them, Sanzo had prodded Goku to continue up the mountainside, informing him that there was only one trail, so he was certain they'd run into the others. But before that could happen, they'd been caught by a surprise cloudburst that had turned into a storm that had chased them until they'd found shelter in a small cave. The stupid weather had left Sanzo in a more ornery mood than usual. And that mood had turned blacker still when he'd looked for his cigarettes and come up empty-handed.

Goku drew his knees up to his chest and tightened his arms around them. It didn't make him feel much warmer, though, not as warm as the sleeping bag secured in his knapsack would. He stared forlornly in the direction of the bag--he'd had the forethought to grab it before his forced march. The sleeping bag was only a single, though; he wouldn't even think of wrapping himself up in it and leaving Sanzo in the cold.

It wouldn't do to alert Sanzo to it, either.

Goku knew that Sanzo, for all his talk of strength and weakness, thought of himself as the weakest link in their chain. Often, the only thing separating him from death was his gun, or Goku, or Hakkai's healing powers--and that seemed to perpetually piss him off. Offering the sleeping bag to him would only point out his frailty and earn Goku a whack with the fan; not that there anything he could do to avoid it if Sanzo were so inclined.

Goku bit his lip to keep his teeth from chattering and thought about warm things – campfires crackling and sparks alighting against ink-black skies, the hot-springs that they'd come upon a week earlier, the brilliant gold of Sanzo's hair which, in Goku's opinion, outshone the sun itself. He thought of all the times he'd slipped into Sanzo's bed; cold, frightened and lonely, Goku'd found comfort lying against his sleeping form. The memories heated his blood and took him far away from the dim, cold cave where the only sounds were the steady _drip, drip_ of rain and their labored breathing, punctuated by a few choice words muttered by Sanzo under his breath.

Sanzo was cold, too. Goku could see him in dull silhouette against the cave's opening; his entire body was shuddering. The wind buffeting them both was icy, laden as it was with stinging droplets of sleet. The pine trees that clung to the ridge shielded the cave, but they were no match for the miserable weather, and neither Goku nor Sanzo was particularly eager to explore the unlit depths of the cave, especially after they'd stumbled over some bones at the entrance.

"What's in your bag?" Sanzo asked after a few minutes of silence had passed between them.

Startled, Goku stuttered his answer.

"J-just a-a tarp an' m-my sleeping bag." He imagined the expression on Sanzo's face and cringed. It had probably been incredibly stupid not to say anything.

Sanzo's words echoed his thoughts. "Moron. Why didn't you say anything? Take them out."

Goku jumped at the suggestion and pulled his pack into his lap. He could barely feel his hands as he struggled with the metal buckles that fastened the flap. Sanzo clucked his tongue impatiently, finally pushing Goku aside to unceremoniously dump the contents of the knapsack onto the floor of the cave.

Along with the tarpaulin and sleeping bag, out clattered a few tent spikes, a folding knife, a ball of twine, some protein bars and a soft pack of Marlboros with a book of matches stuck in the cellophane.

"Taking up smoking?" Sanzo asked, picking up the pack.

"No! Those are for you! 'Kai said it would be a good idea if I kept a spare pack in case of emergencies—Gojyo wouldn't think of looking in my stuff."

"Che." Sanzo tapped the pack against the heel of his hand. "At least I won't have to listen to you complain about being hungry," he commented as he toed one of the protein bars.

And Sanzo wouldn't be cigarette-deprived. Goku could feel the tension in the air evaporating. They'd both be somewhat content. But still cold.

"Put the tarp down on the ground over there," Sanzo ordered, pointing to the far wall of the cave.

"Wouldn't it be better to block out the wind an' the rain?"

"No, we'll use our clothes, they're already wet." Sanzo slipped the pack of cigarettes into his pocket then picked up the twine. Goku watched him feel along the rock wall with one hand and then drive one of the spikes into a crevasse. As he repeated his efforts on the opposite wall, Goku unfurled the tarp and laid it over a carpet of pine needles that had banked against the cave wall. He got down on his hands and knees and smoothed out the lumps as best he could.

When he was finished, Goku laid the sleeping bag out. It looked impossibly small against the larger square of tarpaulin.

In the meantime, Sanzo had completed his makeshift clothesline and shed his outer robes. He folded the material over the line. It billowed in the wind and the sleet pattered against it, but it held fast.

Goku unfastened his cape and handed it to Sanzo. Soon it joined the robe; together, the garments formed an acceptable barrier against the weather.

Even with the removal of his wet clothes, Goku was still shivering. "D'ya think we should start a campfire?"

"No, idiot. If the smoke didn't kill us, it would probably alert more youkai," Sanzo replied through clenched teeth. He lit a cigarette that had somehow materialized between his lips.

Instead of arguing, Goku picked up one of the energy bars. "Ya want one?" Sanzo waved him off and a thin stream of smoke erupted from between his lips. Goku polished off two protein bars, leaving enough for a meager breakfast for him and Sanzo, then wadded the wrappers and secreted them away in his pants pocket. The smell of Sanzo's cigarette had a comforting effect on him; it added a sense of normalcy to their predicament. He looked over the makeshift bed. There was room enough for the both of them, and if they lay down together there would be more than enough warmth under the sleeping bag from their body heat alone.

"Sanzo? Why don't we sleep together any more?" he asked. Sanzo froze, his cigarette midway in the air. Goku saw his brow furrow in the warm glow.

"Because you're not a kid anymore," he answered before taking another drag.

"So?" Goku let his question hang in the air between them and when Sanzo didn't seem inclined to respond he pressed further. "It was nice when we did. I always felt safe." He bent down and unlaced his boots, then toed them off. It made total sense to him that they should share the sleeping bag. Goku wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it earlier.

"Men don't sleep together." Sanzo's voice was firm, but he wasn't mad; Goku couldn't exactly read what he was, though.

He knew, too, that Hakkai and Gojyo did sleep together on occasion, though when they did, there wasn't much sleeping involved. Goku was okay with that; he'd figured out that that's what people did when they liked each other. And Hakkai and Gojyo really liked each other. And he definitely liked Sanzo.

"Why not?"

Sanzo shrugged then let out an exasperated sigh. "What are you getting at, monkey?"

"It just makes sense that we … bunk _together_ tonight." Goku picked up the sleeping bag, wrapped it over his shoulders, then opened one arm to Sanzo invitingly, acting more confident than he was feeling. "We can both be warm." Sanzo folded an arm across his mid-section and continued to smoke. "Please?" Goku asked softly. Even if Sanzo didn't like him in the same way, he couldn't fail to see the logic.

"You really are a pain in my ass," Sanzo grumbled. But Goku realized that he hadn't exactly nixed his idea. He watched Sanzo grind out his cigarette and then slip out of his boots. Then, to Goku's amazement, he peeled off his sheath and arm-warmers. In the dim light, his pale skin practically glowed. "Well? What are you waiting for? I'm not going to sleep next to a wet monkey." His pants were next off and, Goku, mindful of leaving Sanzo standing there freezing in his skivvies, handed him the sleeping bag while he undressed.

He'd just managed to strip to his boxers when Sanzo blanketed him in the sleeping bag. Goku was grateful for the warmth, but more than that, for the scent Sanzo had left behind. He smiled as he settled onto the tarpaulin and spread out the cover. Sanzo eased himself down too, leaning over Goku to lay his gun and scripture on the plastic next to him, and then sliding in behind to spoon him. Soon enough, the arrangement proved warm and toasty, and Goku slipped into a light doze with Sanzo's arm draped over his waist. The wind still howled outside the cave and sleet still battered their outerwear, but inside the only sound was their even breathing.

For quite some time Goku hovered in that semi-sleeping state, his back pressed against Sanzo's chest, his senses tuned to the minute muscle twitches in the hand that rested against his stomach and the rhythmic rush of the breath that ruffled his hair. As he listened to the hushed inhale and exhale, Goku let out a contented sigh and wormed even closer to Sanzo. He smiled when Sanzo's arm tightened around him and, before long, Goku was lulled into a comfortable sleep.


End file.
